Friday, August 31, 2007

TITLE: THE SLEEPING DOLLAUTHOR: JEFFREY DEAVERPages: 415Date: 31/08/2007Grade: 4.5Details: nr 1 Kathryn Dance MysteryOwnKathryn Dance is a special agent with the California Bureau of Investigation and a specialist in kinesics (the science of interpreting behaviour), which makes her a brilliant interrogator.Shortly after being interviewed by Dance, Daniel Pell escapes from prison, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind him.Pell is a master manipulator, who mesmerises people and then uses them for his own ends.Eight years ago he headed a small group of people, he called the Family, until the brutal murder of four members of a family lead to his arrest and his group fell apart.Now, Kathryn, to get a better understanding of Pell, has to bring the three women who where in his group back together, as well as interview the girl who survived the slaughter of her family.But nothing and nobody is quite what they seem, and Pell doesn't take kindly to people like Kathryn, who can resist his twisted charm.Good story, though a bit slow for me at times. Deaver always manages to hook me, but I've still read nothing by him that gripped my quite like the Lincoln Rhyme books.

Monday, August 27, 2007

TITLE: SCARED TO LIVEAUTHOR: STEPHEN BOOTHPages: 630Date: 26/08/2007Grade: 5-Details: nr. 6 Diane Fry and Ben Cooper MysteryLibraryThe murder of Rose Sheperd is an unusual one for the Derbyshire police force. This seemingly harmless middle-aged woman is assassinated with three bullets through her open bedroom window.But when Ben Cooper and his colleagues start to investigate, it turns out that the victim's background is as big a mystery as the question who might have murdered her and why.Meanwhile, Diane Fry is investigating a house fire in which a woman and her two young sons died.For a long time, neither investigation appears to be going anywhere, until a sudden discovery links the two crimes, and an international angle is discovered.Once again a well plotted, well, written and detailed mystery, with a bit of a twist in the tail.So far, Booth hasn't disappointed me once.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

TITLE: CHRISTINE FALLSAUTHOR: BENJAMIN BLACK/ JOHN BANVILLEPages: 390Date: 21/08/2008Grade: 4-OwnQuirke is a pathologist in Dublin, who likes that he's working in the cellars, almost in a perpetual night, with very limited contact with the living.One night, while attending a party elsewhere in the hospital, he walks into the pathology department to find a corpse of a young woman, that shouldn't be there and his brother in law, Malachy Griffin, doctoring a file.Although he's normally not interested in other people's business, this woman and her death won't be ignored and he starts an investigation into the death of the woman named Christine Falls.An investigation he refuses to give up, even when the woman who seems to have at least some of the answers is murdered and he is first warned off and then assaulted himself.Even the realization that any answers he might find could involve his own past and those close to him doesn't reduce his determination.Set in 1950's Dublin and Boston, this story paints a disturbing picture of the Church and those with power making and maintaining their own rules.The idea for the story was very good, but the writing too bland, distant and analyzing to truly grab me.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

TITLE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING KENNEDYAUTHOR: LAURIE GRAHAMPages: 326Date: 16/08/2007Grade: 4.5LibraryThe story of the Kennedy family, told by their (fictional) nurse maid, Nora Brennan.Nora is taken on by Joseph Kennedy and his wife in 1917, five years after she's arrived in America from Ireland. She's there when every one of the nine children is born and witnesses Joseph's rise and the families strategies aimed at raising Joe junior to become the first Catholic President of the USA.She bears witness as the families' whole existance is geared towards reaching this goal, and any individual desires the children may have are sacrificed on teh alter of the higher purpose.Twenty two years later the outbreak of World War II finds Nora and the Kennedy's in London. When the family returns to the US, Nora stays behind to get married but stays involved with the older Kennedy Children and watches how Kick disregards all the families' scheming by marrying a British Protestant, and when Joe junior gets himself killed in the war, it's up to second son, Jack to fulfill the families' ambitions.Fascinating book, especially because I assume a lot of the family life as described is based on fact, which makes me feel very sad for those children, although none were depicted as unhappy in the book.Nora, as a narrator was very observant and gives great insights into family life as it may well have been for them.An easy and comfortable but very fascinating read.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

TITLE: THE BLUE NOWHEREAUTHOR: JEFFREY DEAVERPages: 430Date: 14/08/2007Grade: 4.5Details: Stand-aloneOwnImage someone having access to everything you do on your computer, without your knowledge, or you knowing the intruder. Imagine that person using that access to find you and kill you.That's what the police in Silicon Valley is up against; a superior computer hacker, a "wizard". And the only person who might be able to "out-hack" this criminal is Wyatt Gillette, presently in prison for hacking.The police and Gillette find themselves one step behind "Phate", the hacker, all the way. They can't even be sure about their own team.Good mystery, great thriller with lots of typical Deaver turns, and a very scary premiss. At the back of the book Deaver says that at the time of writing the book (2001) experts said that a hacking program as described in the story wasn't possible. And I hope that will stay that way, but I have my doubts.This book was not quite as good as the Rhymes books, but a very thrilling and fast read none the less.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

TITLE: DEAD AS A DOORNAILAUTHOR: CHARLAINE HARRISPages: 295Date: 12/08/2007Grade: 4.5Details: nr. 5 Sookie Stackhouse Paranormal MysteryLibraryI broke my (self-imposed) rules with this book. I usually read my series in order, starting with number one. But in this case, I didn't realize this book was part of a series until I had it home from the library for a few weeks. And since the contents summary was very enticing, I decided to ignore the rules and take a mid-series sample for a change.And it paid off. I will definitely go back to number one and read this series in order, from scratch.Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic and working as a waitress. Her brother, Jason, has recently been infected by a Werepanther and is about to change for the first time, a scary experience for anyone.But things get worse when somebody starts shooting changelings and Jason is the chief suspect as far as the local changeling population is concerned. Sookie has until the next full moon to prove his innocence, or he won't survive his next change.But there's more to worry about. Sookie's friend Tara has hooked up with a very dangerous vampire, someone sets fire to Sookie's house, trying to kill her, the local Werewolf population need her assistance in a leadership contest, and Sookie's love-life is getting more complicated by the day.This book has a lot in common with the Anita Blake series, but as a character I find Sookie fare nicer and more interesting than Anita.

TITLE: THE MARRIAGE HEARSEAUTHOR: KATE ELLISPages: 297Date: 11/08/2007Grade: 5-Details: nr. 10 Wesley Peterson Murder MysteryOwnWhen Kirsten Harbourn fails to turn up for her wedding, a shocking discovery is made; Kirsten is found, murdered on her bed, killed while she was getting ready for her marriage.And it soon turns out, there's no shortage of suspects.Kirsten was being stalked and kept quite a few secrets from her husband to be, Peter. She was also on to some dodgy goings on in the foreign language school she was working for.And then Wesley and his colleagues are confronted with a second murder; this time of a recently married man, with no trace of his new wife.As the investigations continue, join and separate again, and old corpse is found on farm land, and here it's Wesley's archaeologist friend Neil to investigate.He soon discovers a link between the murdered girl and a recently discovered Elizabethan play that is soon to be performed with one of Wesley's colleagues, Rachel, in the cast. And it is watching the play that finally gives Wesley the clues he needs to solve the crime.I really enjoy this series, although I can't stand Wesley's wife Pam, and am looking forward to the next one.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

TITLE: THE BOOK WITH NO NAMEAUTHOR: ANONYMOUSPages: 379Date: 08/08/2007Grade: 4-LibraryA mysterious blue stone, The Eye of the Moon, is stolen from it's hiding place a week before a total eclipse of the sun is due to cast the town of Santa Mondega into darkness.This is the cue for a whole host of characters to descend upon Santa Mondega in order to get their hands on this stone. All have their own reasons for wanting the stone, and only a few of them have good intentions. A few outsiders also get dragged into the search for the stone.And after all of them is the Bourbon Kid, who orchestrated a massacre during the last eclipse, 5 years ago, and has returned for a repeat performance.But who amongst these characters can be trusted, and is everybody really who they appear to be?A lot of the answers to these questions can be found in The Book With No Name. But anybody who reads the book dies....A fascinating story which managed to surprise me once or twice.However, the writing wasn't great; could have done with more editing.Still, not bad for an "originally self-published Internet sensation."

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

TITLE: WHITETHORN WOODSAUTHOR: MAEVE BINCHYPages: 449Date: 06/08/2007Grade: 4.5OwnThis is a book in which too much happens to give a proper summary. But it all centers around the town of Rossmore, and Whitethorn Woods.Rossmore is a rapidly growing town, in dire need of a new bypass. Problem is that this road would go through Whitethorn Woods, destroying the well dedicated to St. Ann; the well lots of people visit in the firm believe that St. Ann answers all sorts of problems.The town is divided as to whether or not the road would be a good thing, and their feelings with regard to the future of the well.In the end is up to a local man nobody ever gave credit for having brains, to come up with the perfect solution.And all of the above happens in less than a quarter of the book. The rest of the book consists of stories about people, connected to Rossmore in one way or another, but not necessarily living there or relating to the road dilemma.And that's the reason the book doesn't score a 5. In many ways it felt more like a collection of short stories than a novel.It was a very comforting, easy and at times funny or touching read though, as I've come to expect from Binchy.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

TITLE: TRACE EVIDENCEAUTHOR: ELIZABETH BECKAPages: 319Date: 04/08/2007Grade: 4-Details: nr. 1 Evelyn James, Forensic Scientist, Mystery?LibraryEvelyn James is a forensic Scientist in Cleveland, who gets called out one night when the body of a girl is found in a river. The girl's feet are in a bucket of cement, her body wrapped in chains; it's a most horrific scene.Then the Mayor's daughter is found, also murdered by the same person, and an already pressing case receives a new sense of urgency.For Evelyn, this last murder makes the case personal and more complicated, since the Mayor used to be her boyfriend in college.Messing up this case could cost Evelyn her job, but uncovering the clues might just cost her her life.This wasn't a bad mystery, but a bit of a struggle to read because there were too many side stories going on besides the mystery.Between Evelyn's divorce, her past relationship with the Mayor, the problems with her teenage daughter, and the mutual attraction with police officer David Milaski, who has his own personal history and problems, it at times felt as if there wasn't enough room in this book to hold all the elements and keep the story moving.Still, if this is the first book in a new series, as it appears to be, I may try a second book when it comes out. This could be very good, if the author could start diversifying a little bit less.

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About Me

My name is Marleen. I'm Dutch but have been living in Ireland for well over 15 years now. I have a passion and love for reading and books. Since early 2008 I have been lucky enough to have been working part time in the library in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan where among other things I run the library reading group.
I will read almost anything that has words in it, and post my thoughts on everything I read in this blog:

Review Disclaimer

In this blog I write my thoughts on every book I read. Some I will have brought home from the library, some will have been bought while others will have been sent to me for review. I do not get paid for reading and reviewing any books and all opinions are mine and mine alone. Whether a book was borrowed, bought or received will be indicated at the top of every review.

Review Policy

I accept books for review but do have one or two requests and conditions:

* Feel free to email me with an offer, but please have a look at my blog and the books I've read in the past first to check if your genre is one I'm likely to enjoy.

* Bear in mind that I write my thoughts about every book I read in this blog, regardless of whether or not I enjoyed it. All my posts are automatically linked to my Facebook account so they will show up there. If I have accepted a book for review and don't like it I will however refrain from posting a link on Twitter or copying the review to sites like Amazon.Positive reviews, on the other hand, I will share as widely as I can.

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